Andy Montoya
Piave is a pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region of Italy. It is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, but its texture is more tender and supple, making it ideal for eating straight or grating. Piave Vecchio, a variety of Piave, is aged for at least 12 months and has a flavour profile that is salty, fruity, butterscotch-y, and nutty. The texture is dense and chewy, yet also creamy, and the cheese is filled with delicate crystallized proteins. Piave is a good substitute for many hard Italian cheeses and can be used for a wide variety of applications, including grating, shaving, or serving in chunks.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Dense, chewy, creamy, smooth |
| Flavor | Salty, fruity, butterscotch, nutty, tropical fruit sweetness, slight almond bitterness |
| Milk | Cow's milk |
| Origin | Named after the Piave River in Northern Italy |
| Producer | Agriform Sca Cheese |
| Use cases | Slicing, snacking, grating, cooking, pairing with wine |
| Similar cheeses | Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano |
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What You'll Learn
Piave Vecchio is a good substitute for Parmesan
Piave, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano are common alternatives to Parmigiano-Reggiano in the U.S. and are available at a lower price point. Piave Vecchio, in particular, is a good substitute for Parmesan. It is a hard, savory, and fruity cheese with a tropical fruit sweetness and slight almond bitterness. Its flavor is complex and multi-layered, with salty, fruity, butterscotch, and nutty notes. Its texture is dense and chewy, yet creamy, making it perfect for eating as well as grating. Piave Vecchio is also great for making Pasta Alla Ruota, where the wheel is hollowed, and the pasta is tossed with other ingredients inside the wheel and served immediately.
Piave Vecchio is made from cow's milk and is named after the Piave River in Northern Italy. It is produced by only one manufacturer: Agriform Sca Cheese. The cheese is aged for at least six months, and its bright flavor is reflected in its bright-colored label. Its smooth texture and concentrated, sweet crystalline paste distinguish it from Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is typically aged for 18 to 24 months.
While Grana Padano is often compared to Parmigiano-Reggiano due to their similar texture and functionality, some consider its flavor less complex than Parmigiano-Reggiano. Grana Padano is also typically aged for a shorter duration, contributing to its lower price. Pecorino Romano, on the other hand, differs from Parmigiano-Reggiano in that it is made from sheep's milk, giving it a distinct flavor and texture.
With its unique combination of savory and fruity notes, Piave Vecchio offers a delightful alternative to Parmesan. Its dense yet creamy texture makes it a versatile option for grating, shaving, or serving in chunks, ensuring a delightful culinary experience.
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Piave is also great for making Pasta Alla Ruota
Pasta alla Ruota, also known as cheese wheel pasta, is a simple recipe that has become very popular. The dish is prepared by placing hot pasta in a hollowed-out cheese wheel, then scraping the sides of the cheese wheel bowl so that every piece of pasta is coated in fresh cheese. The starch in the water binds with the fat in the cheese to create a velvety texture.
Piave is a popular Italian cheese that is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, two varieties of cheese commonly used to make Pasta Alla Ruota. Therefore, Piave is also great for making Pasta Alla Ruota.
The dish is often served tableside as a showstopper and has received favourable reviews from food critics. It is a great way to use up every morsel of the cheese wheel and is sure to impress diners.
To make Pasta Alla Ruota with Piave cheese, start by heating your pasta until it is super hot. Place the pasta in the hollowed-out Piave cheese wheel, adding a little cooking water around it. As the pasta is twirled and swirled, the starch in the water will bind with the fat in the cheese to create a velvety sauce that coats each strand of pasta.
Piave cheese has a nutty, fruity, and slightly sweet flavour that would pair well with a variety of pasta dishes. The cheese wheel presentation adds a unique and scenic element to the dining experience, making it a popular choice for diners.
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Grana Padano is the most heavily produced protected cheese in Europe
Grana Padano is a hard, crumbly-textured Italian cheese originating in the Po Valley. It is made with unpasteurized cows' milk that is semi-skimmed. The cheese is produced year-round and varies seasonally and annually. It is similar to Parmesan but with less strict regulations governing its production. Grana Padano is also nearly lactose-free due to the characteristics of its production and ageing process. The cheese gets its name from the Italian word "grana", which refers to its grainy texture, and "padano", which means "from Val Padana" (the Po Valley).
Grana Padano is one of the most heavily produced protected cheeses in Europe. It was registered as a denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) in 1955 and as a European Union protected designation of origin (PDO) in 1996. The Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano was formed to protect the uniqueness of the cheese, as well as to publicize and promote it through education about its properties. An external certification company, CSQA, was appointed to ensure that every single wheel of Grana Padano is made to the exact required specifications. About 150 factories make Grana Padano in the Po Valley area, and an estimated 76,724 tons of this cheese are manufactured annually.
Piave Vecchio is a cheese that is often mentioned in the same breath as Grana Padano. It is described as being either fruity or nutty, with some similarities to Gruyere. Piave Vecchio is also a protected cheese, with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
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Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk
Pecorino Romano is a hard, sharp and salty Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. It is ideal for grating and flavouring dishes such as pasta. The name 'pecorino' means 'ovine' or 'of sheep' in Italian, and the cheese is one of four Italian sheep's milk cheeses that benefit from protected designation of origin (P.D.O.) status. The milk for Pecorino Romano comes from sheep bred in the wild and fed on natural pastures in Lazio, the province of Grosseto in Tuscany, and the island of Sardinia.
The process of making Pecorino Romano starts with selecting high-quality, pasture-raised sheep's milk, which is typically sourced from Sardinia, Lazio, or the Tuscan Province of Grosseto. The milk is then heated and coagulated with lamb rennet. The curds are cut into small pieces to release the whey (the liquid portion of the milk), and then drained to separate them from the whey. The drained curds are placed into moulds, which give the cheese its distinctive shape. The moulds are then pressed to remove any remaining whey and to compact the curds.
The cheese is then removed from the moulds and salted, either by rubbing salt on the surface or by immersing the cheese in a saltwater brine. This step helps to preserve the cheese and develop its flavour. The cheese is then aged for a minimum of five months, and sometimes up to a year or more, in temperature and humidity-controlled environments. During this time, the cheese develops a hard texture and a sharp, tangy flavour. After five months, a young Pecorino Romano can be marketed as a table cheese, and after eight months, it can be marketed as a grating cheese. Young Pecorino Romano is soft and sweet, but as it ages, it becomes drier, flakier and more granular, with a saltier, spicier flavour.
Pecorino Romano is one of the most popular cheeses in Italy and is widely exported to the US. It is also one of the oldest varieties of cheese, dating back to ancient Rome when it was a staple food for legionaries. Today, it is still made according to the original recipe.
Piave Vecchio is a type of Piave cheese that is often mentioned alongside Pecorino Romano. Other cheeses similar to Piave include Parmigiano Reggiano, Asiago DOP, Asiago d’Allevo DOP, and Romano.
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Piave is sold at various stages of maturity
Piave is a hard, savoury cheese with hints of tropical fruit sweetness. It is named after the Piave River in Northern Italy and is produced by only one manufacturer: Agriform Sca Cheese. To be classified as a Piave cheese, the milk used must come from herds that graze along the river from which it gets its name.
Piave is often compared to Parmigiano Reggiano, although it is smoother and has a more concentrated, sweet crystalline paste. It is also similar to Grana Padano, although some say that Grana's flavours are less complex. Piave is usually aged for six months or more, and it is at this stage that it is perfect for grating, shaving or serving in chunks.
Piave Vecchio, or "old" Piave, is the most common variety found in the US, although older versions are also available. Piave Vecchio has a bright flavour, reflected in its bright-coloured label. It is a good table cheese, perfect for slicing and snacking, or grating over pasta. Its flavour is multi-layered, starting salty, then fruity, then butterscotch-y, then nutty. It also has delicate, crystallised proteins, which are a sign of a fine aged cheese and add an enjoyable texture.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheeses that are similar to Piave include Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano.
Piave is reminiscent of Parmigiano Reggiano in terms of flavor. However, Piave's texture is smoother and less bold, without the coarse crystallization of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Piave has a more tender and supple texture compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. It is also sold at various stages of maturity, offering different flavor profiles as it ages.
Piave is a pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region of Italy. It has a dense and chewy texture with a creamy mouthfeel. Its flavor is multi-layered, starting with salty notes and progressing to fruity, butterscotch, and nutty flavors. Piave is perfect for grating, shaving, or serving in chunks, making it a versatile cheese for cooking or enjoying on its own.
